Raglan Lions Club members have been awarded two Melvin Jones Fellowships by Lions Clubs International in recognition of their commitment in the operations and management of the Raglan Lions Opportunity Shop and in the running of the Lions Club over its forty years of service to the community.
This top award, part of the MJF Program was established in 1973 in honour of Melvin Jones, the founder of Lions Clubs International. The MJF is a recognition of donations by the Raglan Lions Club to Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF). Kay and Wendy receive a pin, commemorative plaque and a letter from the LCIF Chairperson Past International President Wing-Kun Tam.
Kay and Wendy are members of the Raglan Lions Club and they bring some 25 years of service as Lions.
“It is very rewarding to help fulfill community needs, and it is a great honour to be presented with this award,” said Wendy.
President Bob MacLeod outlined what this will mean on the International stage “Lions Clubs International Foundation will now be able to help more people than ever before.” Melvin Jones Fellowship eligibility now includes donations to five special program areas.
- Disaster: Enables LCIF to direct the funds to the area’s most in need following disasters to provide for immediate, mid and long-term relief. The Foundation will be able to immediately provide funds for large-scale disaster relief, rather than collecting and distributing funds over a period of weeks or months. This may well be needed in Raglan should or if a Disaster occurs in our community.
- Sight: Funds seek to support hundreds of sight-related activities ranging from equipping eye clinics to providing Braille computers for the visually impaired.
- Youth: Supports the Lions Quest program and other initiatives such as educational infrastructure improvements and programs to assist at-risk youth.
- Humanitarian Needs: Funds projects that meet diverse community needs beyond sight, disaster and youth, such as the measles program, water wells and vocational training programs for the disabled.
The Raglan Lions Club has 18 members and meets every third Monday at 7pm at the Raglan Fire Station. Lions clubs are a group of men and women who identify needs within the community and work together to fulfill those needs. For more information or to get involved with the Raglan Lions Club, please contact President Bob at http://www.lionscluns.org.nz/raglan
Lions Clubs International is the world’s largest service club organization with more than 1.3 million members in approximately 45,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas around the world. Since 1917, Lions clubs have aided the blind and visually impaired and made a strong commitment to community service and serving youth throughout the world. For more information about Lions Clubs International, visit the Web site at www.lionsclubs.org.